Search

While in Las Vegas on a recent vacation, my family and I dined in our casino/resort at a restaurant called Steak n Shake. I hear they are famous? This was the first time we had heard of the place and since we were in the mood for burgers we decided to try out them out.

For our orders we went with what they were famous for, steak burgers and shakes. The ambiance was retro 50’s diner and the service was fast, but best of all the food was delicious! The burgers were nice and juicy and full of flavor. Topping it all off with a vanilla shake was perfection. It’s not exactly good for you food but it is food that is really good!

Brought to you by a local restaurant owner who we already know knows how to build and run a great place – Jeff Back of Back Wine Bar & Bistro.

Folsom Tap House is located in the old Sports Bar building is in the same business area as Back Wine Bar & Bistro. The site of the new Tap House had also housed several other restaurants before including an old French Bistro run by a couple from England.

Needless to say, Jeff has done it again. It took a few weeks to iron out the new opening bugs but the place is running very well and we have enjoyed visiting, dining and enjoy some very good beers at Folsom Tap House.

To summarize, Folsom Tap House is a very nice place. The ambiance was good, the service outstanding and the food and beer were excellent.

As soon as we walked in, we were immediately greeted and seated. Waters arrived right away and beers were ordered and served quickly. It took us a while to pick what we wanted to eat (great selections) and every few minutes someone would stop by and ask if we needed help or were ready to order – I could not ask for better service then that.

We tried a couple of the beer samplers which happened to be 50% off that day – nice! The beers were great, we enjoyed them all and it was nice how all the styles and brands were explained in detail.

The draft beer list AND the bottled beer list are fantastic! This place has a lot of great beers available.

For food we ordered the salmon sliders and chicken wings and wow they were good!
I’m not even a fan of chicken wings but theirs were great and I already looking forward to going back and having them again.

Through out our evening we were checked in on often by staff which was great. The beers we ordered never sat empty and overall we had a very enjoyable time at Folsom Tap House. We plan to be frequent flyers at this place – it’s that good! and well worth it.

The “Cootie Burger” with Chili Cheese Fries served at Samuel Horne’s Tavern in old town Folsom on Sutter Street.

I must confess, this is one of my all time favorite burger and chili cheese fries combos, I know it is bad as far as cholesterol, fat, sodium and all that goes. However, the great taste, the high quality ingredients, the perfect meld of flavors, they all make it very well worth it.

I’ve tried a lot of burgers over the years but this one really stands out with it’s unique combination of ingredients:
Pepperjack Cheese, Raw Spinach, Mayo, Pepperoncini’s and topped with an Over Easy Fried Egg . Oh so good! That burger along with a side of their outstanding Chili and Cheese fries is pure burger nirvana! Save up your appetite and try this out sometime!

Last year a Northern California burger joint opened in Folsom on E. Bidwell Blvd. Smash Burger was highly anticipated as a restaurant that makes burgers really well and has some unique combinations of ingredients. I was also told they also have very good shakes made with Dryer’s ice cream.

I had to go see what it was all about so I made plans to stop by there for lunch.
Smash Burger is located in Folsom at 703 E. Bidwell near Wales St.

It was a good burger, had a very good presentation, service was nice and the burger and fries were tasty. The combo of flavors was good, but I must admit, it was not my favorite, I think I will try a regular Smash burger next time. I don’t think the brie mix worked for me.

All in all it was a good experience, next time I’m going to try something else on their menu to see what else they have.

As of today 8-29-11 Smash Burger has a 50% off deal on Groupon – $6 for $12 worth of food.
This 50% off Groupon coupon deal can be found at http://gr.pn/qE18dB

Check out Smash Burger sometime and let me know what you think of their food – feel free to add your comments below.

Located at 424 E. Bidwell in Folsom, this restaurant specializes in hot dogs, sausages, burgers and beef.

Urban Dog & Sausage has got a festive industrial meets neighborhood ambiance with plenty of tables and a very friendly staff. You select your dog off the chalk board, place your order at the counter and select your table and wait for one of the most tasty hot dogs you’ve ever had. Beer and wine is also available, including one of my favorites on tap: Shocktop

Below are a few selections from the menu, many of these are very creative concoctions. All dogs are the best brand on the planet – Vienna Beef.

According to Fine & Wine magazine these are the best burger places in the USA. I am not at all surprised to see the first place on the list…. California’s own In-N-Out! Congrats!

The burger, America’s quintessential comfort food, can now be enjoyed in an impossibly endless number of ways. There are round-the-clock burgers at 24-hour-roadside joints and ephemeral late-night burgers sold out in mere minutes; burgers grilled in hundred-year-old cast-iron broilers and burgers steamed in state-of-the-art ovens; burgers crafted from Kobe beef imported from Japan and burgers made with Black Angus beef from just down the road; burgers innocuously topped with melted American cheese and burgers piled high with crumbly, statement-making Roquefort cheese. It’s clearly a great time to love the burger. Here, we’ve singled out the 25 best burgers around the country.

By Ratha Tep, Lawrence Marcus

California: In-N-Out Burger

Even superstar chef Thomas Keller is a fan of the West Coast chain—and with good reason. The cooked-to-order burgers are made from Harris Ranch beef and served with hand-cut fries. For a messier, more indulgent experience, order your burger “Animal Style” for extra sauce and chopped grilled onions. in-n-out.com

Star chef Linton Hopkins announces “burger time”—10 p.m.—with the ringing of two bull horns; that’s when two dozen grass-fed beef burgers are up for grabs and consistently sold out within minutes. The burgers are also available on the Sunday brunch menu. holeman-finch.com

There’s no sign, yet dedicated fans—a certain president included—come here for the freshly ground burgers with and complimentary toppings like grilled onions and mushrooms sautéed in sherry and Cognac.

New Haven, CT: Louis’ Lunch

Signature Burger: The Original Burger (prepared with a combination of chuck and sirloin beef).

Many restaurants claim to be the birthplace of the hamburger. Louis’ Lunch, in New Haven, Connecticut, since 1900, is a leading contender. The meaty hand-shaped patties are grilled on antique cast-iron broilers over an open flame. louislunch.com

Went to the Purple Place last week to try their burger that has won a few “best of” contests.

I’d been here years ago, but since then its changed ownership and the entire place upgraded. There’s a really nice menu now that consists not only of bar food basics such as hot wings and nacho’s but they also serve seared sea scallops, pot stickers and more. For their entree’s they range from scallop risotto (which I can’t wait to try!), prawns, new york steak, ribs, tacos and a line up of burgers, sandwiches & panini’s.

I tried the cheeseburger with cheddar with the works along with garlic fries. It all was very tasty and I look forward to going back to The Purple Place to try some of the other items on the menu.

Featured Posts

This is going to be a new section in the food blog about healthy eating – it’s about time right? I’ll be posting photos of healthy food along with recipes and information about healthy eating, gotta have some good healthy food, the more the better, I know I’m working on it, hopefully some of the […]

Grandma always said, “Chicken soup is good for you!” When it starts to get colder and the weather is dreary and dark, it makes for a nice setting to make a large batch of chicken broth.Cooking up a batch of broth always warms the entire house with a very nice aroma that lasts all day long […]

Spices for taste Spices are what make our food preparations better tasting – the mixtures and results are the science of culinary art. There are so many flavors, hot, sweet, salty and more. The mixtures and concoctions of spice blends are endless. Wikipedia has a great description of spices: A spice is a dried seed, fruit,root, bark, leaf, or vegetative substance used […]

By Sarah B. Weir and Lori Bongiorno Posted Mon Aug 8, 2011 2:04pm PDT Guess how much protein is in a juicy, 8-ounce cheeseburger washed down with a milkshake? This single meal contains two to three times as much as most people need per day. It’s no great surprise that Americans chow down on a lot […]

According to Fine & Wine magazine these are the best burger places in the USA. I am not at all surprised to see the first place on the list…. California’s own In-N-Out! Congrats! The burger, America’s quintessential comfort food, can now be enjoyed in an impossibly endless number of ways. There are round-the-clock burgers at […]